In the Good Old Summertime

Kicked off the morning with pieces from Colliers Harvest of Holidays for Father's Day. One of the long stories was the sweet, quiet tale of a father who takes his little girl out to the yard at night so she can sleep. The other is a segment from Cheaper By the Dozen detailing how Mr. Gilbreath, father of 12 children and efficiency expert, tried to use the same logic he applied to factories at home...with mixed results.

Listened to Nat King Cole while eating breakfast. The title song of Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer is probably the best-known hit from Cole's 1963 summer-themed album nowadays. Most of the other numbers are beloved old favorites from the early 20th century like "Bicycle Built for Two," "In the Good Old Summertime," and "The Sidewalks of New York." One of the two new songs was also a hit, the dreamy ballad "That Sunday, That Summer." The other one was "That's What They Meant By the Good Old Summertime."

Headed to work a little early to get a pack of grapes, cubed muenster cheese, crackers, and tuna salad for lunch. Work was honestly not that bad. I spent the entire time pushing carts. The Sunday morning bagger and the afternoon bagger handled the indoor chores. It was too nice to be shopping anyway. It was hotter, yes, and a little humid, but breezy and sunny. 

Bought a Pearson's Salted Nut Roll for a summer treat after work, then went straight home and into tonight's Match Game marathon. Far more TV dads than what we saw last night appeared on this show! In addition to Tom Bosley, there were Robert Pine of CHIps, best known today as the father of actor Chris Pine, Michael Landon of Little House on the Prairie during that first week in 1973, Pat Harrington, and Ed Asner.

Real-life fathers occasionally brought their children on the show. Proud single dad Richard Dawson mentioned his son Gary twice. He first showed a picture of him dancing with a hula girl in Hawaii and claimed he was now engaged. Later in 1975, he invited Gary on the show near the end as a birthday present. McLean Stevenson's daughter Jennifer turned up at the end of an episode in 1978. She was adorable and funny in her Star Wars t-shirt. She even chewed her lip like her dad. As Didi Carr said, she was a "chippette off the old block." Jack Klugman often mentioned the two sons he had with Brett Somers. 

Fathers appeared on other versions of Match Game, too. Ted Knight was hilarious during the Too Close For Comfort week on Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour. His real-life daughter Elyse also appeared that week. Alan Thicke, later of Growing Pains, turned up twice on Hollywood Squares Hour with his then-wife Gloria Loring. Bill Kirkenbauer of Growing Pains and Just the 10 of Us was a frequent (and very funny) panelist on Match Game '90. 

Celebrate Father's Day the Match Game way as you and your dad match wits with some of the funniest fathers around!

Match Game Sunday Classics - Father's Day Marathon

Balance On a Hot Day

Slept in and spent so much time writing in my journal and finishing Against the Currant, it was 12:30 before I got moving. Watched PAW Patrol while eating brunch. "Sea Patrol: Pirate Pups to the Rescue" has Ryder and the Pups responding to a distress message from their friend Carlos and his Chihuahua Tracker. The duo were hunting for treasure on a remote tropical island and were stranded after a booby trap left Tracker's tent at sea. They first have to get around more booby traps, then need to rescue Carlos after the song from a magic flute hypnotizes the jungle animals and they carry him away in the treasure chest.

Did some stuff online for the next hour and a half or so. The truth is, I'm bored. I'm really bored. I'm stuck at a standstill with nothing happening. If the Acme is going to continue to give me lousy hours, I need something to do. I just wish I knew what that was. I looked up yoga studios online, but I finally decided it was too hot to be doing poses in a steamy studio.

I eventually just broke for lunch at quarter after 2. Watched the 24/7 Murder She Wrote streaming channel while I ate. Jessica is upset when her friend in Texas who owns a trucking company may lose his business after a shipment of computers going to NASA is stolen. The man (Earl Holliman) is having his own problems. His son (Patrick Wayne) seemingly prefers playing with a band at a local road house than working in his father's business. He's even more devastated when his son is accused of turning the ex-husband of his waitress girlfriend into "Roadkill." Turns out the guy was involved in far more nefarious dealings than arguments over a girl, including a smuggling ring.

After lunch, I just went out for a walk in Newton Lake Park. I couldn't think of anything else to do. At least it was hot and dry, but not to the degree that it's supposed to be tomorrow, and there's still that nice breeze. I sat on a bench for a few minutes and tried to communicate with nature, listening to the animals chatter and the wind rustle the leaves over my head. I even saw a family of Canadian geese all in a row step into the water, with two parents floating out to check out the water while their goslings and two older siblings stayed in formation.

Stopped at Dollar General for a drink. I thought of buying watercolor paint, but I don't want to pick up something, then get bored and stop doing it. I'm tired of wasting time and money on things that I just don't finish. I have at least five different stories going right now that I've started, but haven't finished. I just can't figure out where to go with them. I bought a Propel and a Diet Mountain Dew for later and walked home.

Finally did yoga myself in my bedroom. I never did get rid of my yoga mat. I have that box of illustrated yoga moves, too. They don't really give you instruction on how to do them. I haven't done yoga in over a decade. I ended up looking for them online. I really had a hard time with balance. I just can't stand on one foot without wobbling and nearly falling over. I can't lift myself very well, either. I wasn't even going to try headstands! At the least, I did feel a little bit better after having done it

Watched Mo' Better Blues while I worked. I go further into this 1990 jazz drama with Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes as rival jazz musicians at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Mo' Better Blues

It was 7:30 before I finally broke for dinner. Ate while watching Match Game '79. For some reason, Buzzr jumped way back to mid-'79. Gene reveals how out-of-touch he and Charles often were when they admit they've never heard of the song "See You In September." An audience member sings it for them, and rather well, too.

Finished the night with more of my recent CD acquisitions as I worked on my review, starting with SPF 16: Summer Party Favorites in honor of the first day of summer. The reason I bought this is the sheer variety of summer-themed songs on this disc. We get everything from "Summertime" by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince to "Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer" by Nat King Cole to "Southern Nights" by Glenn Campbell. Other unexpected tracks are "My Sharona" by the Knack, the theme from the original Hawaii 5-0 by the Ventures, and "Rio" by Duran Duran.

The Great Songs of George Gershwin features some of his most popular work in honor of his 100th birthday in 1998. This is another eclectic collection, with selections ranging from Judy Garland singing "Swanee" on the Star Is Born soundtrack to George Benson doing a jazzy "A Foggy Day" to a lovely and previously unreleased version of "The Can't Take That Away From Me" by Mildred Bailey and Her Orchestra. We also have some summer music here, too, with "Summertime" by Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra and "It Ain't Necessarily So" by Aretha Franklin.

Cannonball Adderly is one of the many jazz greats of the 50's and 60's I've been listening to on YouTube while puttering around online late at night. Most of the numbers on The Best of Cannonball Adderly: The Capitol Years are live recordings from the 1960's. I like his earlier stuff better; "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" was especially good. 

Welcome to the Summer

Got a quick start this morning with breakfast in the front room before rushing out. It was still a nice, sunny day at that point. Thankfully, it continues to be much cooler here than it currently is in the south and Midwest, barely in the 80's. Dodged some traffic, but got into work just on time.

Work was dead almost the entire afternoon. It did get a little busy around the noon rush hour. Otherwise, we were pretty quiet. Had some trouble with a woman who didn't or couldn't get everything she needed for her WIC card. They don't have a book anymore; everything they need to read is online. We're also out of a lot after the holiday weekend, including the store-brand eggs and milk needed. It took so long to figure out what she got that wasn't on the card, I had to move and take other customers while the manager finished. All I did the whole time was panic. 

Rushed home the moment one of the college boys came in for me. The sun had vanished behind clouds at this point, but it remained fairly cool and breezy. It was even a tad chilly for the first day of summer. 

As soon as I got in, I went online to do some writing. Humpty-Dumpy is Richard Deacon, a grumpy, balding character actor who sometimes sits next to Brett on the show. Brett and Charles keep trying to get him to come down, but he either ignores their questions, thinks they're asking riddles, or asks personal questions from them.

Broke for dinner and to do the laundry at 7 PM. Ate while watching Match Game PM. Brett and Charles happily spend the episode sniping at each other, including over what a lion that's been trained to attack when it hears a bell eats. Gene's less amused when he has to fix the recalcitrant turntable and push it himself. Brett's more nervous about handling "__ Peck" in the Head-to-Head.

Finished the night after a shower and bringing the laundry upstairs with George M! I kick off two weeks of All-American Weekdays with this adaptation of a Broadway show about the life of George M. Cohen, featuring Joel Gray as Cohen and Bernadette Peters as his sister, at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog. 

Musicals on TV - George M!

Dads and Matches

Started off the morning with breakfast and Silly Symphony shorts on DVD and Disney Plus in honor of the summer solstice. "Summer," "Night," and "Frolicking Fish" are all variations on the "animals sing and dance in time to classical music". "Fish" has the title sea creatures dodging an overly playful octopus. "Playful Pan" starts out as Pan brings out the animals and trees of the forest to play, but he's the only one who can save them when the woods catch fire. "Bugs In Love" are rescued from a nasty crow by their fellow bugs, who use everything from paste to needle-and-safety pin bows and arrows to get rid of it. 

"Flowers and Trees" is the first three-strip Technicolor short and the first animated short to win an Oscar. It's a bit like "Playful Pan," this time without Pan. Here, a boy and girl tree are very much in love. A withered old tree wants her for himself and attempts to burn the forest down in order to get her.

Worked on writing between cartoons. Brett's starting to think Charles the Mad Hatter is almost pretty funny, even when he starts rambling about time. Richard's just trying to recruit him and the others against the Red King, who wants everyone in the under-kingdoms to play the game his way. 

Headed out shortly after "Flowers and Trees" ended. Work wasn't busy when I arrived. It didn't pick up until after 1:30, when people returned from the Shore and realized they now had kids at home for two months that needed to be fed. At least everyone was in good moods, especially those out-of-school kids. I got two compliments on my new watch (including one from a sweet girl) and another on my smile. It did pick up later in the afternoon, to the point where I was glad that it died enough by 7 for me to leave without a relief.

Rushed home the second I got out. I wanted to catch at least a little of the Match Game Father's Day Marathon on YouTube. More fathers than you might think played this game, from actors like Tom Bosley who played dads on TV, to real dads who mentioned their children on the show. Richard Dawson had two sons, Gary and Mark, whom he was a single dad to. Gary Burghoff's little girl Gina appeared an in adorable episode where Gene carried her in with Patti Deustch and Donald Ross' son Max Ross. CHIPs actor Robert Pine's son is Chris Pine, best known for playing Steve Trevor in the current Wonder Woman films. McLean Stevenson's cute and intelligent daughter Jennifer appeared on the end of a 1978 episode. He'd bring two equally adorable and funny kids out of the audience and onto the panel to play along with them in two episodes of the 1981 syndicated shows.

Bring your dad to play along with some of the wildest fathers to ever appear on television! 

Match Game Father's Day Marathon

The First Day of Summer

Kicked off another cloudy morning with breakfast and seasonal-themed Silly Symphony shorts in honor of the Summer Solstice. Indeed, "Summer" was the sixth Silly Symphony, and like most of the early ones. it's mainly animals dancing and eating each other in time to classical music. "Night" is much the same, only this time with nocturnal animals like frogs and owls frolicking after dark. "Playful Pan" has the famous fawn god dancing with the animals of the forest, until a fire nearly burns it to the ground. Pan has to play his flute to return the woods to life.

Later Silly Symphonies had slightly more complex plots. "The Bears and the Bees" are two adorable bear cubs who find a stump full of honey. The bees don't like them invading their home, and a larger bear is after the honey, too. "Bugs In Love" was the last black and white Silly Symphony. A pair of bug lovers are attacked by a crow. The boy manages to rally the other bugs to help rescue his sweetheart.

Headed out to get the laundry done as soon as the cartoons ended. Though the clouds lingered, they weren't as dark as they have been the past few days, and it wasn't anywhere near as humid. It was enough to scare people off. There were a few people at the laundromat when I arrived and the morning managers, but it wasn't really that busy. Good thing the managers were there. I forgot my laundry detergent; they loaned me one. I didn't have a huge load, anyway. I was out in less than an hour.

A light shower was just winding down when I headed home. I put my clothes away, then ran a summer-themed episode of Sailor Moon while having a quick lunch. The Sailor Guardians have a spooky start to their solstice in "The Summer, Youth, and Ghosts." Usagi is looking forward to her training vacation with Rei, Luna, and Ami...until they realize that their hotel is a spooky hulk run by creatures out of a Universal horror film. The owner is a menacing man who seems to be controlling his young daughter, whose psychic powers prove more frightening than any vampire or ghost when they're unleashed.

Went into "Usagi and Rei: Nightmare In Dreamland" as I packed up for running errands later. This is from a bit earlier in Season 1. Rei and Usagi's constant bickering comes to a head when they, Luna, and Ami investigate mysterious disappearances at a local amusement parks. Rei suspects every ride and robotic critter, but Usagi just wants to have fun and ride the rides. They have to learnt to work together when a creepy audio-animatronic "princess" steals Ami's energy and lures them into a trap.

Left a little early to return the DVDs to the Oaklyn Library and do volunteering. I had just enough time to go over the DVDs and the board books in the kids' area. I don't think I would have hung around for very long, even if I didn't need to dash to work. The only people there besides the librarian were a couple of elderly ladies whose complaining and gossiping got tiresome very quickly.

Work didn't begin well. They tossed me in the register as soon as I walked in the door. There had been a call-out, and two more would call out as the afternoon progressed. The manager begged me to stay another hour, due to the lack of help. I was stuck dealing with people for two hours, and they weren't always in the best moods. Thankfully, it slowed down shortly after that. I did end up briefly in the register again, but I was mainly shelving returns or helping the other two baggers with the carts. The extra hour didn't turn out to be necessary. It was so dead by 5 PM, I spent the last hour hanging up gift cards with no interruption whatsoever.

By the time I finally got out around 6 PM, the clouds and humidity was long gone, revealing a windy, sunny day that felt a lot more like the first day of summer. It was too nice to have dinner anywhere but Sonic. Surprisingly, despite the nice day and it being the dinner hour, the patio was empty when I arrived. I was able to enjoy my cheeseburger, tater tots, and cherry limeade in much-appreciated peace.

Went back to work to do this week's grocery shopping. I really didn't need much. The Acme's having big weekend sales on broccoli and eggs. I wasn't in that desperate need of eggs, but the sale was once again too good to pass on. There was a good sale on Emerald nuts, too. Went with honey-coated peanuts. Took advantage of a sale and an online coupon to grab the Nature Valley Granola Cups. I love them, and they almost never go on sale. The clearance shelves still groan with discontinued candy; I went with a bag of mini white Reeces Peanut Butter Cups. Grabbed my favorite Talenti Gelato, too. Restocked skim milk, canned pineapple, yogurt, honey, brown sugar, peaches, chocolate chips, and soap.

My schedule this week is a little strange. We're back to mostly early days, including a very early day on Sunday...but there's a relatively late evening next Friday, and Thursday has me listed for the floral department as well as bagging. Well, ok. I like the floral department manager, and I wouldn't mind lending her a hand. Tuesday and Wednesday off, Tuesday for counseling, and slightly more hours.

Stayed with Sailor Moon as I put everything away and changed. "I Want a Boyfriend: The Luxury Cruise Ship Is a Trap" has Usagi desperate to get tickets for a romantic ocean voyage for couples. Thing is, she has no significant other in her life...but that doesn't stop Rei from winning tickets and inviting Ami along. Usagi and Luna stowaway as photographers, which turns out to be a smart move when they learn that the ship and the cruise is a Negaverse plot to steal energy.

Went into Lego Pirates of the Caribbean around quarter of 8. I'm getting very close to finishing this game. Completed "Isala Cruses" and "Davy Jones' Locker," including all pieces and compass points. The minikit finder's been a huge help in digging up the remaining pieces! The last on in "Locker" was especially tough. I didn't realize that you needed to shoot everything that's breakable in the extra room with the food to get it.

Finished the night with Recess: School's Out in honor of the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer. TJ Detwiller is looking forward to three months of fun with his best friends Vince, Mikey, Gus, Spinelli, and Gretchen. He's devastated when they all go away to camp, leaving him to spend a boring summer along. Things take a turn for the strange when he sees strange men in sunglasses around Third Street School and a laser blasting out of the lunch room. He tells Principal Prickley, but he disappears. When neither his parents nor the police believe his story, he rounds up his friends and the other students at Third Street to get to the bottom of this mystery...and discover a conspiracy to eliminate summer vacation forever!

Enjoyable ode to time off was a surprise hit in 2001, even bigger that year than Disney's "canon" animated movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Ironically, it's about as equally forgotten today. If you're a fan of the cartoon or have fond memories of when it ran on Saturday mornings, or are a fan of 60's rock (which makes up most of the soundtrack), you may find much to enjoy in this one.

Welcome to Summer

It was raining lightly when I woke up this morning. I checked out the fly situation, then ate breakfast while watching seasonal Silly Symphonies in honor of the first day of summer. "Summer" was the sixth Silly Symphony, and one of the simplest. Like the spring short, it's pretty much animals dancing and eating each other in time to classical music. "Playful Pan" has the little faun helping the animals when the woods nearly burn down. "Bugs In Love" is the last black-and-white Silly Symphony, and one of the earliest to depict small characters fighting off a larger creature. In this case, the title bugs help two romantically-inclined ladybugs scare away a crow.

Worked on writing for an hour or so after breakfast. Leia and her friends are introduced to the rest of the crew. Bodhi Rook had lived in Jedha, one of the countries in North Africa that the Empire bombed. He worked for them, but ultimately defected and joined the rebel underground. Asians Baze and Chirrut joined after the Empire destroyed their temple.

Broke for a quick lunch at quarter of 1. Finished out the summer-themed Silly Symphonies while I ate and got organized. "Frolicking Fish" is just that - fish dancing in time to music. "Night" is similar, only this time with nocturnal creatures.

Headed out at quarter after 1. I got into Haddonfield for this month's counseling just in time. In good news, I've been getting more hours, and other than the bobbles with the King of Prussia Mall trip, Lauren and I had a great time when she visited last month. However, I'm broke again. I overspent on my birthday and lost most of my food stamps. Not to mention, I'm worried about both of my dads. Dad-Bill in particular doesn't sound great.

At the very least, Lauren and I aren't getting together this year until September. I have two and a half months to save money for vacation. In addition to upcoming 4th of July hours, I think I might talk to Dad and Jodie and see if I can do chores or housework to earn the money for the tickets and vacation, or if we could split it. I don't want to not go this year. First of all, this is my only real vacation away from Camden County. I don't even visit the family in Cape May much anymore. Second, Lauren and her parents look forward to my visit and have said that they'd be disappointed if I couldn't come.

I'm also hoping to try to get out a bit more this summer. The rule is, anything I go to has to be under 40 dollars, or better yet, free. There's a lot of inexpensive or free events, concerts, plays, shows, and fairs in the summer. Movies are cheap if you go in the early morning (as I discovered with Beauty and the Beast and Solo: A Star Wars Story) and lay off the concession junk food. A walk or ride to the local towns don't require much more than the cost of a soda and lunch.

(Incidentally, as for Solo not doing well...along with the problems usually sited - release date too close to the heavily contested Last Jedi, minimal marketing, a lot of competition - I've been wondering just whom Lucasfilm thought the audience for this was going to be. Most younger fans consider Han Solo to be a dead character, and many older fans have read the original books on Han and wouldn't dream of seeing anyone but Harrison Ford in the part.

That said, this and Rogue One were good movies, and I'm hoping Solo not doing as well as they'd hoped won't put Lucasfilm off the Anthology movies all together. A lot of people still want to see that Kenobi movie. Boba Fett is one of my least-favorite major characters, but he doesn't have a lot of back story, either, and they might actually be able to do some fun things with him.

I've said for a while that Lucasfilm needs to realize that they're not Marvel. The Star Wars films are complex creatures, and they need time to germinate. They should still release Episode 9 next year, then maybe take a year or two off to really develop all the movies and TV shows they supposedly have in production, including a cartoon series about the Resistance, at least two more non-Skywalker trilogies, and a TV show focusing on the Star Wars underworld.)

Mrs. Stahl let me get away with paying her 10 dollars co-pay, instead of the usual 20...as long as I put the remaining 10 away for savings, in my savings accounts or an envelope. I put it in one of my savings accounts. If it's actual, physical money, I'll spend it.

By the time I headed out around 3, the sun was out, the clouds were fleeing, and it was turning into a gorgeous day. Rode over to the Haddon Township Library to return my DVDs and do a little volunteering. I just put away the children's DVDs. There were a ton of those as it was, and they had another volunteer shelving the adult titles. Along with more The Lion Guard and He's a Bully, Charlie Brown, I grabbed some new releases. They had Paddington 2 in, a new PBS version of Little Women, and another Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode, The Undead.

Went back to Westmont to take a look at their Summer Solstice Festival. There were plenty of food trucks and craft booths, along with a stage featuring local jazz bands. A kid's area next to the Westmont Theater/Planet Fitness had a huge pirate ship-themed bounce house, carnival games, face painting, a woman dressed as Belle in a lovely yellow gown greeting eager children, and a beer garden for their parents. I bought two slices of pizza (at $4 for two slices, it was the cheapest food deal there) and enjoyed listening to the jazz band and a yoga instructor encourage everyone to breathe deeply and put out their summer ommms.

Made a quick stop at the Westmont Acme on Cuthbert after I left the block party. I couldn't put off buying bug spray until the next time I get to the Audubon Acme. The flies were too nasty. No wonder I got three days off - they were dead when I came in, and at rush hour, too. I got in and out with no trouble.

Had my snack, then rode across Newton Lake Park in search of the "Matrimonial Garden." It turned out to be the brick half-circle terrace near the playground across from the Parkview Apartments. There were two tents, one white, one pink, set up near and on the half-circle when I arrived. I locked my bike to a tree and settled down on a bench. Other folks sat in chairs, on blankets, or on lawn chairs in the park behind us. An online pamphlet for the Camden County Park System mentioned "Shakespeare In the Park," the only major event happening in Newton Lake this summer. Since it was free and I hadn't been to a play in years, I thought I'd check it out.

It turned out to be a performance of Twelfth Night. Viola and Sebastian are twins separated in a storm. Viola arrives in Illyria first and dresses as a young man named Cesario to work for the Duke Orsino. Orsino is in love with the fair Olivia, but she's in mourning for her brother and won't see anyone. Olivia falls for "Cesario" when she delivers Orsino's messages to her. It doesn't help that Viola has fallen for Orsino. When a pirate brings Sebastian ashore, his close resemblance to his twin muddies the lake waters even further. There's also a subplot involving Olivia's drunk uncle Sir Toby Belch and his buddy Sir Andrew Agacheek making the pompous Malvolio believe Olivia's in love with him, with the help of Olivia's lady-in-waiting Maria.

I loved it. A park with a lake running through it turned out to be an ideal setting for this particular show. Characters made their entrances by real water, in a real row boat. Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and fellow servant Fabian hid behind real trees and audience members when Malvolio arrived to read their fake love letter. Characters watched the action from the park with the audience. It was a lot of fun. Special kudos to the guy who played Sir Toby. He was absolutely hilarious, and had a gorgeous deep voice to boot. Wasn't as impressed with the girl who played the fool Feste. She mess up some lines, and her singing voice wasn't that great.

It had turned into an absolutely gorgeous night, windy and cooler with a few clouds. The sun was just starting to slip behind the horizon as I returned to Oaklyn. Treated myself to a mint chocolate chip water ice from Phillies Yummies. Whew, was that minty! Clear-my-sinuses minty. Very minty and very green, with real chocolate chips. I enjoyed my treat while watching people stroll back from Tonewood Brewery and Phillies Phatties.

Finished the night at home, watching The Undead. This one skips way ahead to Season Eight, one of the later Mike seasons. While Tom Servo is declared a genius, the trio watch a Roger Corman movie from 1956 about a prostitute being regressed to her past life, a woman accused of witchcraft. The man who sent her back travels into the past to save her and see history change...but if she doesn't die, her future selves will. The movie itself was cheap but oddly interesting, with it's unique past-life medieval plot, even if it does look cheap as heck. (However, the only "undead" are three dancers towards the middle of the film who more closely resemble modern dancers than any current ideas of zombies.)

The Undead (Annotated)

(Oh, and I did spray not only the front window, but around all the windows in the living area I could reach to do so. Seems to have worked, at least for now. The flies are gone.)

Surprise Summer Storms

Kicked off the first day of summer with a Backyardigans sports episode. Pablo, Tyrone, Uniqua, and Austin take part in a "Race Around the World," while Tasha's the judge and announcer. Each of the other kids have won a gold medal in an event before. Austin's worried that he won't get far. This is his first time racing. His friends may have the advantage of experience, but they're only good at one sport each. Not only is Austin a better all-arounder, but he has a fanny pack filled with everything he needs. He teaches the group a lesson in being prepared when he shares the things in his pack with them.

Spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon writing. As it turns out, Rusty Arlington was once the repair man for the Jedi Guards and the royal family. Baron Anakin Skywalker had been a good friend of his, until he pledged himself to Prime Minister Palpatine and was maimed in a fencing match with Ben that ended badly.

This is when Ben also spills the beans about the rest of Luke's family. He has a twin sister. Luke figures it out instantly. His sister is Leia, whom he's felt connected to ever since her arrival back in May. Rusty explains that he and Padme hadn't wanted to separate them, but Ben, Bail, and Yoda felt it was for the best. Padme didn't live to see her daughter's first birthday. Most of Alderaan believes she died of her injuries from Anakin trying to throttle her, but Rusty claims it was a broken heart from her husband's betrayal that did her in.

The trio leave Ben, reassuring him that Luke will face Vader, even if he can't kill him. They head to the Takodana Inn, where the rest of the group is meeting, including crusty old Naval man Admiral Ackbar.

Broke around 1:30 to make salmon scampi and steamed green spring peas for a nice lunch. Watched Charlie Chan In Rio as I ate. Charlie (Sidney Toler) and his "Number Two" son Jimmy (Keye Luke) are in South America, hot on the trail of a woman who killed a man in Honolulu. Their trail leads them to the mansion of Lola Dean (Jacqueline Dalya), a popular singer. She was about to run off with her playboy fiancee (Ted North) and get married, but she's murdered before she can go anywhere. There's a house full of suspects who were there to celebrate her engagement, including her secretary Helen (Kay Linaker), her butler Rice (Leslie Denison), and her cute maid Lilly (Iris Wong) who flirts with Jimmy. The answer may lie with a broken broach and a psychic (Victor Jory) who hypnotized Lola and recorded her under his influence earlier.

Mixed feelings on this one. While I enjoyed the fairly unique premise and am happy Jimmy has more to do than fall in the water, I thought the whole thing with the psychic was a bit much. The biggest disappointment was the lack of use of the setting. This story could have been set anywhere without changing a thing. Nothing felt remotely tropical.

It's been nice to see the Charlie Chan movies again. I used to watch them with Mom on AMC as a kid, and caught them occasionally in college on TCM in the early 2000's. If you like classic detective stories (and don't mind Charlie being played by a white man), for the most part, these are pretty fun.

It was just a little cloudy when I headed to work. Though I spent most of the first hour and a half doing the inside trash and the bathrooms, I was outside for the majority of the evening. Even as I started gathering carts, deep, dark clouds were building up on the horizon. Once again, I got very lucky. I'd just finished getting carts from the side of the building when Mother Nature unleashed her full fury. It was windy, pouring - the whole works. I could barely control the five carts I'd gathered! Thankfully, I went right inside after that for break. By the time I came back out, the rain was down to showers. They were gone all together when I headed home, leaving a humid and slightly cooler night.

As soon as I got home, I jumped straight in the bath. I so needed that after doing more work than I'd originally planned this week. I listened to one of my Reader's Digest Operetta CDs and looked over vintage cake decorating magazines.

Summertime for Dads

First of all, Happy Father's Day to all dads, including my own two and those with children who are four-legged and feathered.

We had some pretty noisy storms overnight. The clouds were just subsiding as I finally got up around 10. Made Blueberry Coconut Pancakes and enjoyed the air conditioning as I listened to one of the two cassettes I picked up from the yard sales last week. The Hollywood Musicals features Johnny Mathis with help from Henry Mancini. I like that there's a few obscure titles, including "It Could Happen to You" (from the little-known And the Angels Sing) and "Crazy World" (from Victor/Victoria).

Work was, surprisingly for a holiday, not as busy as I thought it would be. For one thing, it got sunnier and hotter as the day went on. I suspect a lot of people may have headed off to the Shore once it became apparent that the weather wasn't going to be anywhere near as bad as the local newscasts claimed. Other than some fussy customers, there were no major problems, and my relief was on time.

It sure felt like the first day of summer when I got out of work. It actually wasn't that hot, probably in the mid-80's and a bit windy, but it was humid as heck. I hurried home the short way down the Black Horse Pike.

When I got in, I called the family in Cape May County to wish Dad-Bill a happy Father's Day. To my surprise, he answered the phone. He apparently ripped a tendon on a knee a while back and had just had surgery on it. He was at home, resting. I'm glad I got to talk to him. He's usually out working on Father's Day. Talked to Mom, too. She was let go from the Ferry earlier than expected, thanks to an error, and is now at loose ends. My nephew Skylar will be spending the night at her house to celebrate the end of the school year. I can't believe he'll be going into sixth grade in the fall!

(I'll go to Dad-Bruce's house and deliver his card tomorrow or Tuesday. I think he and Jodie may have gone away for the weekend.)

I listened to my other yard sale cassette find while having leftover chicken sausages with a farm-market fresh spinach salad for dinner. I took Barbara Streisand's Back to Broadway album out of the library a few times a while back, but I don't think I ever owned it. My favorite song on this one is the touching "Children Will Listen," from Into the Woods. I also like "Luck Be a Lady" from Guys and Dolls.

Are You Ready For the Summer?

Started the first day of summer with several vacation and outdoor-themed Mickey Mouse cartoons. Mickey tries to hide Pluto in his luggage in "Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip," but Conductor Pete catches wise and chases them across the train. Mickey tangles with "The Little Whirlwind" when he tries to clean Minnie's yard. Mickey and Minnie recall a gentler summer of vaudeville and crank-powered car rides in one of my favorite Mickey shorts, "The Nifty Nineties." Mickey and Pluto have a close encounter with a boomerang and a none-too-happy emu in Australia in "Mickey Down Under."

My first stop of the day was the Oaklyn Library. Given the nice weather and the fact that it was past noon, I wasn't surprised to see that the only people there were the librarian and two older people on the computers. I arranged DVDs and looked over the children's books. Oaklyn's selling the leftovers from its book sale last weekend for cheap. I bought The Croods and The Pooh Cook Book for 25 cents each! (They've also done more rearranging. Magazines are now on a metal rack as you enter. The larger wooden rack was moved to the back of the building and is currently used for sale items.)

I had an absolutely gorgeous ride across Newton Lake Park. The weather was just about perfect, sunny, dry, windless, and probably in the lower 70s-upper 80s. Other than algae has started taking over the river, the scenery is lovely, green and sweet-smelling. I'm surprised there weren't more people out and about, just a few joggers.

The Haddon Township Library was a bit busier than Oaklyn had been. There were lots of people on the computers and several parents and kids looking for DVDs. The kids' DVD shelves were overloaded; I couldn't get everything in and finally pulled some doubles. Had an easier time with a smaller stack of adult titles and CDs. I ended up with a collection of the original Gidget films, the independent vacation-themed comedy The Way Way Back, the newest Angelina Ballerina title On With the Show, and the cast album for the controversial Broadway musical Spider Man Turn Off the Dark.

Had a quick burger-and-fries lunch at Wendy's. I wasn't in the mood for anything fancier, and it was too late to go further. I then crossed Cuthbert to check out the newly remodeled Rite Aid. I knew the pale blue exterior had been replaced by beige, but I assumed that was as far as the changes went. I was very wrong. Almost the entire interior, except for the registers and the freezers along the sides, had been reorganized or upgraded. The interior was now a lighter pale yellow, with soft wood-grained signs that told you what was being sold there. I didn't really need much; just picked up a paper towel roll for 78 cents.

When I finally got home, I got organized, put everything away, changed into my sandals, then headed back out on foot with my laundry in my new cart. It was a lovely afternoon for a walk. The wind had picked up a little by quarter of 5, but nothing too chilly or heavy. The laundromat was dead when I arrived. I saw one other person, but otherwise, it was just me, my small load, and Action News. I was in and out in less than an hour.

Did a few chores when I returned. I swept the porch, which was covered with sticks and debris (including the first pepper nuts of the season), while listening to the Kenny Loggins Greatest Hits CD, then put up the patriotic decorations for the 4th of July. I have some fairly cute red, white, and blue-themed items, including a patriotic Care Bear with a flag on its tummy, two mini-patriotic Beanie Babies, a tall cardboard Uncle Sam, two large flags I put in the metal curls on the top of the baker's rack, a huge ribbon for the front door, and three folksy wooden doll-blocks that spell out "USA."

Ran the Angelina Ballerina disc as I made banana-chocolate chip muffins, pan-fried chicken, and strawberries and greens salad for dinner. This one has a musical instrument theme, as Angelina and her pals learn about different types of music and how use effective non-verbal communication. Non-verbal communication especially ties into the first story. Angelina's teacher Miss Mimi has laryngitis and can't give the kids the direction they need for their version of "Peter and the Wolf." The way the story is told through music gives Miss Mimi a way to direct her students without speech. In another story, all of the kids are asked to make up their own instruments from everyday items. Gracie, who prefers dancing to real musical instruments, has a hard time getting into the assignment, until grocery store owner Mrs. Thimble shows her how much fun it can be to create your own kind of music. A sweet Father's Day tale teaches everyone about the music of Eastern Europe, as Angelina, Polly, and Angelina's friend Marcos plays Klesmer music for Angelina's dad for a party.

Super Hot

Ugh! It was so hot today. It was already hot when I was having breakfast around 10:30. I finished out The Thomas Crown Affair, then ran an episode of Lois & Clark. We're not the only ones dealing with a heat wave. Metropolis finds itself stuck in a freak heat wave in the middle of November in "The Man of Steel Bars." The citizens think Superman's powers are behind the heat! Superman - and Clark - will leave if Lois can't find who's really causing the city's meltdown.

Heat or no heat, my milk was out of date and had gone sour. I needed more. I headed off to WaWa around noon. Stopped at the Oaklyn Library for this week's volunteer session there, since it was on my way. Needless to say, despite the air conditioning, it wasn't busy there. One woman was on the computer; otherwise, it was me and the librarian. I organized DVDs, shelved children's books, and gave the kids's section a go-over. 

I did finally make it to WaWa around quarter of 1. Much to my surprise, I ran into Rose there. She was on her way to a meeting at the law firm she works for during the day and was just about to buy an iced coffee. I'd just bought my skim milk and an Icee. 

When I got home, I made an omelet with broccoli, cheese, and mushrooms for lunch while running another Lois & Clark episode. In "Pheromone My Lovely," it's the staff of the Daily Planet that gets hot and bothered when they're doused with a perfume that makes humans lose their inhibitions. Jimmy chases a model. Cat chases the copy machine repair man. Perry White serenades the cleaning lady with Elvis tunes. Lois chases Clark...and Lex Luthor chases Lois! Clark has to make sense of all the romance while pursuing a chemist who is a former flame of Luthor's bent on revenge.

Work was on-and-off busy. We were short on help, mainly because a lot of it went on vacation this week. Thankfully, the off times were really off. I was able to get out at a decent time with the help of one of the new cashiers, a teenage boy who speaks fluent Spanish and was able to explain to a Hispanic family that we're out of eggs. (As with the milk on the 4th of July, the shipment was too late to be shelved.)

Summer and Technology

First of all, I hope everyone enjoyed the first day of summer! It was a gorgeous day to start summer here, too, sunny, breezy, and warm but not uncomfortable. 

Started the morning with several black and white Silly Symphony shorts that revolve around summer, insects, and animals. "Summer" and "Night" are as simple as it gets - summer animals dance in time to the classical music, the latter during the evening hours. Later stories were a bit more exciting. "The Spider and the Fly," "Frolicking Fish," and "Bugs In Love" all revolve around the same concept - a larger animal (a spider, a crow, and an octopus) attacks smaller animals, until their friends come to the rescue using the often ingenious means at their disposal.

I didn't get to the groceries until about 11:30. The Acme was busy, but not overwhelmingly so. Good thing. I had a lot of restocking to do after Lauren's visit. The brown and white sugar both needed to be refilled. I used canned black beans and peaches last week and ate the canned mixed fruit this morning with blueberry muffins for breakfast. Grabbed Arm & Hammer Deodorant on one of the Acme's occasional dollar sales on that and Arrid. Needed sponges, chocolate chips, and wraps as well. Wanted to try the new 4th of July-themed Jet Puffed Starmallows. I found ants swarming around the whole wheat flour bin, which is up against the cabinet wall closest to the windows. Yuck! I was able to clean it off (and thankfully no ants got into the flour), but I did want to buy ant traps to make sure that didn't happen again.

The UPS truck pulled in at the same time I did. I arrived just in time to take my package from the truck driver. Yay! My new laptop had arrived from Toshiba. It's a beautiful Toshiba Satellite. It's smaller and lighter than my old Compaq, and runs three times as fast. I wish I could have had more time to handle it before I had to work. In fact, I was almost late because I spent so much time getting the laptop together, I was barely able to change or eat lunch!

Ironically, not only did I make it on time, but I was less late than yesterday. For once, I was glad. We were on-and-off busy all day. The Acme's going through some major changes, thanks to the company that bought them out a few months ago. We're putting major emphasis on lower prices (even the prices that haven't been lowered all that much). Most sales, except for some big promotions, no longer require the store card. The only reason a customer will need the card will be to get coupons on the machines. We're also emphasizing our genuinely good produce and meat. I know people (including Dad and Jodie) who say they shop at Acme mainly because we have the best meat prices and stock around. 

Went right back to the laptop when I got home. After I got the laptop synced to my internet, I bookmarked as many of my favorite sites as I could find. Alas, one I could not find was RoughDraft, which I've used as an editing-friendly alternate to Microsoft Word for years. It seems it's been discontinued since the last time I downloaded it. Lauren suggested OpenOffice as a replacement. I'll try it tomorrow. 

Not So Hot

While it does remain a bit humid, the weather was on-and-off cloudy today and not nearly as warm as last week. I think it was in the mid-80s, about par for the course at this time of year. I actually have the air conditioner off. I get so sick of it running constantly. It makes so much noise.

I slept in this morning and pretty much just watched Stooges shorts until it was time for work. Work was the same as Monday, though a bit quieter during rush hour. I don't imagine things will change much for the next couple of weeks as people head to the Shore or the Poconos for vacation. There were a few annoying folks who gave more orders than help, but otherwise, it was quiet and my relief was on time.

I was glad to be able to get home at a decent time, for once. I got to make a nice dinner of chicken burgers, steamed speckled beans, and sauteed zucchini. Mark, Andrew, and Mark's son came upstairs while dinner was cooking. I explained about the weak spot in the porch. Andrew said he'd find a smaller board to cover the spot, rather than the two huge two-by-fours that just gather leaves (and possibly add to the problem).

"We're Havin' A Heat Wave..."

First of all, welcome to summer! And boy, did it feel like summer, with temperatures into the upper-80s, lower-90s.

Started a hot, humid, but breezy day with a run to the laundromat. I really like doing my laundry at a laundromat. I can do it when I want to without having to call my dad and ask him if the dryer and washer's free. If one washer or dryer's taken or broken, I can use another. If I have to wait, it's no big deal, either. And it only takes an hour for everything to wash and dry, rather than the hour and a half to two hours it often took at Dad's. (He really should have replaced that dryer ages ago.) Not to mention, I usually only have one load of laundry a week that costs me $3 to 4 dollars, tops, if I don't buy a can of soda for 75 cents. I got to the laundromat by quarter of 11 and was out by almost noon.

I finished North By Northwest as I folded laundry and had a simple lunch of celery sticks, peanut butter, yogurt, and a granola bar. Northwest is the tangled tale of a New York ad executive (Cary Grant) who gets mixed up with spies (Eva Marie Saint and James Mason) who think he's a fictional man. While I enjoyed Grant and Marie Saint's wonderful performances (including some surprisingly adult banter for the squeaky-clean 50s), like Rear Window, this is another iconic Hitchcock classic that's been imitated so much (such as the famous scene where Grant is chased by a crop duster) that a little of the magic is lost.

After lunch, I grabbed the DVDs and headed back out again. I made quick stops at Rite Aid and Super Fresh, then went to the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteering session. The library was busy, but the librarians were trying to catch up on signing items in, and there were few DVDs to put away. I shelved what there was, along with some kids' books. I eventually took out two books on the joys of being single, another Beatrix Potter Cottage Mystery (The Tale of Briar Bank), and four DVDs - The Golden Compass, Alexander's Ragtime Band, On A Clear Day You Can See Forever, and a set of Adventures In Care-A-Lot Care Bear cartoons, Cheer, There, and Everywhere.

Watched Alexander's Ragtime Band after I got home and started to make Salisbury Steaks and steamed spring peas and yellow squash for dinner. Band is one of the best known vehicles of Fox star Alice Faye, and her second appearance with Don Ameche and Tyrone Power in 1938 (after In Old Chicago).

Like most of the non-Rogers-and-Hammerstein Fox musicals, Band is an enjoyably corny and melodramatic romantic drama. The lead singer (Faye) and the band's leader (Power) spar and break up and get together again in the years from 1914 to 1938, all while never aging a day. Ameche is the band's pianist and Faye's other suitor, Jack Haley is Power's comic pal, and an energetic Ethel Merman is the band's second singer.

The attraction here, besides the able cast belting Irving Berlin songs, is the intimate numbers. Unlike the cast-of-thousands MGM spectacles, here you often just have people singing one-on-one or a solo performance. Not that Fox couldn't get big with the best of them, but the quieter approach works better with the soap opera story. You really get to know these characters well. Helps that they have some great music to sing, too. Among the standards heard (along with the title song) are "Ragtime Violin," the real-life army number "Gee, How I Hate To Get Up In the Morning," "Heat Wave," and the Oscar-nominated "Now It Can Be Told."

Summer Magic

Started off the day with hot oat bran cereal and a peach for breakfast, then headed to the Acme for this week's paycheck and grocery shopping. The Acme was busy, but not too bad, considering that we're now officially into Labor Day Weekend. I had a lot of luck with sales (likely also thanks to Labor Day Weekend). Got whole-wheat pasta, Fiber One Yogurt packs and granola bars (had coupons for both), chicken drumsticks, Multi-Grain Cheerios, brown sugar, regular white sugar (the Acme's cheap brand), and a whole-wheat roll for the meatball sandwiches I planned on having tonight.

This time, I went straight home instead of to the mall behind the Acme. Put everything away, then had a quick lunch of yogurt, a granola bar, and a small apple. I've been overstuffing myself lately, and I wasn't really that hungry.

It was still a pretty decent day, a little hotter and more humid than it was this week, but far from unbearable, and cloudy on and off. I decided to go for a long bike ride, my first since before vacation. First stop was the PNC Bank on the White Horse Pike to deposit my paycheck. Not surprisingly, given the nice day, it was dead and I was in and out.

Willie the Woodsman and Wife's, a gift shop in Audubon that carries WebKinz, had mentioned to their e-mail list that they now had the WebKinz Turkey and Lava Dragon. I haven't seen them anywhere else, including the Collingswood Variety Store and FYE. I want a turkey for my Thanksgiving displays...and they're just plain cute besides, with their bright feathers and goofy, endearing expression.

I rode around Audubon a bit after that. Stopped at the Audubon Library to see if it was finally open. The last time I went over there, it was closed for an extended vacation between July 4th and the 19th. Not this time; I had no problems getting in. Like the Oaklyn Library, it's housed in a late 50's-era brick building. It's a little bigger than the Oaklyn Library and generally in better shape, with a brightly painted and fairly extensive children's section. The adult fiction collection is larger than Oaklyn's, but not as large as the Haddon Township Branch Library or the Haddon Heights Library.

Briefly said "hi" to the owner of Desserts By Design, but didn't stick around after that. It was getting hotter by the minute, and I wanted to save some money for the Farm Market tomorrow. I rode over the train bridge and into Oaklyn.

I originally intended to stop at Doria's Deli for a drink, as I was very thirsty by that point, but they were closed for vacation until after Labor Day. Went next-door and got a treat from Leo's Yum-Yum Ice Cream instead. Their signature dish, (called Yum-Yum) is something like a somewhat creamier water ice. I had pina colada. There were no chunks of pineapple and coconut like I was hoping there would be, but it did taste like a real pina colada, up to an including a surprising note of rum. (Likely extract. I hope.)

With not much money left, I just rode home after I finished my Yum-Yum. Spent the rest of the afternoon doing stuff around the apartment, including dusting and doing last month's budget. The dusting didn't take too long. It just wasn't that dusty this month, probably because the windows have been closed for most of it. I had more gunk in the air conditioner than around the house.

I had my dinner of a meatball sandwich on whole-wheat crusty Vienna roll with fried onions and peppers and a salad while watching Summer Magic and enjoying the magic of a soft late-summer evening. A breeze wafted in from the screen door, ruffling my bangs and cooling my forehead.

Mrs. Carey's right. There is something special about a summer's evening. "I feel sorry for city people tonight..."

Oh, and meet my WebKinz Turkey, Plymouth! I may put him outside or start a farm/fall room for him; haven't decided yet.

Swimmin' USA

I awoke to the hottest day of the year yet. It was 95 degrees here in South Jersey, and not really so much humid as it was just plain killer hot. Good thing I'd planned to mostly spend today inside or in the pool anyway. (I'm just glad they never called me in to work. It was definitely not a bike-riding day.)

Brought the laundry over to Dad's after breakfast. There was a lot of laundry to do today. I wanted to get as much clean as I could so I could pack this afternoon. I had plenty of time to play lots of Super Smash Brothers Brawl with Jessa (our Samus/Ness combo kicked rear) late this morning.

After tossing the laundry back in the dryer for a second go-around (it was still damp after the first), I hit the pool. Though the water was a mere 82 degrees, it still felt wonderful on such a hot day. I mostly just swam back and forth, enjoying the relief from the sizzling weather and the fact that I didn't have anywhere else I had to run to today.

I was reluctant to climb out, but I really did need to get home to put my clothes away and start packing. When I came back to the pool with my clean (and dry) laundry, my cousins Amber and Brian, their daughter Ella, and another kid, Keisha, were in the pool. It would seem they're going on vacation tomorrow, too. Amber said they're visiting relatives in Wisconsin, the only place Brian ever seems to want to visit.

(I also talked to Dad. We'll be heading for the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia at quarter of 10 tomorrow. The train leaves at 10:55.)

Not surprisingly, I spent the rest of the afternoon packing and watching cartoons and National Lampoon's Vacation, avoiding the heat. Just about everything's packed that can be packed now. (I can't really pack my cell phone or contact lens case until tomorrow, for instance.)

Oh, Lauren's not only letting me use one of her laptops again this year, she's giving me one. She bought herself a Mac laptop back in the spring and said I could have one of her older models. I'll still be able to update this blog and my Facebook page while I'm on vacation.

In the Summertime

After two days of heat and humidity, I was so happy to stick my head out the door this morning and feel a cool wind. It got up to about 85 degrees today, but the stifling sticky feeling had vanished along with the storms. I managed to get out of the house fairly early for my farm market run.

It was a fantastic morning for a ride. After a quick stop at the bank, I headed for the farm market. It was pushed to the side of the parking lot again, but just as noisy as usual. Cherries and carrots were gone, but I did eventually pick up zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, a cucumber, a green pepper, mushrooms, peaches, blueberries, bananas, a small jar of honey peach butter for Lauren's parents when I go on vacation, and sugar plums to replace the cherries.

I rode around for a little while after that, checking out yard sales. Perhaps because of the gorgeous weather, there were tons of them today. Alas, I found nothing of interest besides a lovely ride and eventually headed home. Spent the rest of the early afternoon working on editing and posting the role-play (as mentioned before) and having lunch (Garden State Turkey-Bean Soup and farm market vegetable salad) before heading for work.

I left early enough to take a peek at the Rite Aid that's closing next-door to us. It was about half-empty. The shelves in front were still filled with food, cosmetics, electronics, magazines, stationary, and seasonal items...but the ones in back near the pharmacy were totally wiped out. I saw why when I tried to make my way around the store. There were very, very long lines, going half-way across the front of the store, and only two cashiers to handle them. I was looking for contact solution, but needless to say, I left without buying anything.

Work was just as much of a pain in the rear. First of all, it was busy for most of the day. Second, the computer system that handles our debit, credit, and food stamp cards and our checks was offline all day. This had little effect on the checks or food stamp cards, and only caused slight problems for credit cards. Debit cards, however, were nothing but trouble. You'd have to sign them, and if anyone tried to buy over about $150 worth of food on them, the card wouldn't allow it and they'd have to run the card through twice or however many times until the order was paid for.

Add some annoying customers to the mix, too. My very first customer of the day was the obnoxious old man with the patch who thinks he owns the universe. He refuses to write a check and makes the cashiers do it, even though I think he's perfectly capable. I've seen him do other things. I think he's just lazy. Later in the day, I had an elderly woman who wanted one item in each bag. This wouldn't have been such a problem, if she hadn't had a very full cart...and if she hadn't kept treating me like I was five years old. I know exactly what I'm doing, and I did hear her when she said one item per bag. I hate it when people are condescending to me.

Thankfully, it was quiet enough after work for me to do my grocery shopping in peace. I took advantage of several excellent sales, including $1.00 for an 18-count container of eggs, $.40 each for Dannon Light Yogurt, half-off all chicken breasts, and two Fiber One Granola Bar boxes for $6...even less, with the $1.10 coupon I got last week from a sample table.

Are You Ready For the Summer?

Now, I am. It was cool enough for me to bake a blueberry-chocolate-chip coffee cake this morning. Most of the remainder of the morning and the afternoon was spent cleaning, making up my rent, and doing things around the apartment. The morning started out cloudy, but by the time I'd taken the last swipe at my computer with a dust rag, the sun was shining and the sky was bright blue. It was too late for me to go out for a long trip. I headed over to Uncle Ken and Dad's for a swim instead.

I'm so glad I did. The water was much warmer today than it was at this time last week, into the lower 80s. I swam and relaxed in the pool for about 40 minutes before Jodie arrived. I climbed out to chat with her and read the Jane Wheel mystery I'd brought. Dad came out with one of his guitars a bit later to practice. It felt very cozy, with Jodie and me reading and Dad playing.

Jodie invited me to stay for a basic summer dinner of grilled cheeseburgers, baked beans, cole slaw, and corn on the cob. Jessa joined Dad, Jodie, and I in the kitchen. It was delicious (even though the patties were store-made, not the home-made kind Mom used to make). The corn was much better than Dad claimed. I two two remaining cobs home with me to make salads and have for lunch this weekend.

Summer Breeze

And welcome to the first day of summer! Thankfully, it actually did feel like summer today, with 80-degree temperatures and lovely breezes. As of right now, the weather's not supposed to be anywhere near as crazy this week as it has been the past month - a few isolated thunderstorms and showers, but mostly 80-85 degrees and partly cloudy, which is fine by me.

Balancing Labor and Fun

I began this Labor Day with a Yoga class. Fortunately, the Monday morning class I usually take was the only one still running today...and it was full to capacity, for once with an equal amount of men and women. As Jill said, holidays seem to bring a lot of people out of the woodwork. Could have been the gorgeous, 80 degree day, too, or the fact that many people have off today.

I wasn't one of those people. Actually, I volunteered to work today. I knew darn well the store was going to be busy today. I'm going to have plenty of time off next week, and anyway, in Cape May County, you don't "sign up" to work on summer holidays. You work summer holidays, no questions asked. Even without the sand and sea air, the Acme was packed today, especially when I came in around noon. Not only is it a holiday, but it's the beginning of the month as well. Most public school kids start classes sometime between tomorrow and Thursday, too. (Private school kids start later - Jessa mentioned that her Catholic school doesn't start until next week.) Not to mention, Mondays are usually a busy day for us, anyway. I had no real plans for today other than my yoga class, and I'm going to get plenty of time off next week anyway. The nice weather must have affected my customers; for all the long lines, there were no major problems and no call-outs.

I have to admit, I had a pretty decent summer. It wasn't the most thrilling summer of my life, but I did do some cool stuff. I got new glasses. I went to see a Camden Riversharks game in an Executive Suite, no less. The wonderful weather allowed for a lot of riding around and exploring. I got my older blue bike back on the road. I finally started yoga classes. I spent some time with Jessa. I found that awesome, huge antique store in Barrington that I WILL be returning to. I bought some cool DVDs, including Get Smart and Tiny Toon Adventures. I read some fun books.

There were fewer lowlights - no hurt body parts (knock on wood this continues), more hours at work (and better hours), fewer days of humid weather. My biggest complaint is I didn't get to do EVERYTHING I wanted to do...and I should have done some things (like get my glasses and my ID) sooner.

Our Bi-Weekly Bread

Long lines and lots of stress made my very busy work day a pain in the rear. As usual, people just don't read the signs or look at the fliers. One woman kept insisting that she could only buy $200 worth of food...when she had at least $300 in her cart. Does anyone learn how to count anymore? Half a cart's worth of food had to be put back,including cold items. AND she held up the darn line getting another cart for what she did buy!

One of the advantages of working earlier is getting off earlier. I was able to spend the rest of a quiet afternoon baking bread, catching up with family on the phone, and going for a walk in the neighborhood. I finally got a hold of Rose. She's happy - she had a great time in Costa Rica - but very busy. She's returning to Rutgers Law School tomorrow and she has a million things to do. She wants to go visit the family in Cape May County sometime before I go on vacation, and we both need new driver's licenses and non-driver's IDs. I need to get my hair cut, too.

I called Mom after calling Rose. Mom was in a much better mood this time. She was in the midst of dinner; cooking usually helps her mood. Or maybe it was because my stepfather was going fishing tomorrow, or because my nephew will be finally returning to day care next month (and one closer to his mother's job).

I decided to try a Swedish rye bread recipe out of one of my 50s cookbooks. While that rose the first time, I had a simple, light dinner of spinach salad with sliced chicken breast. While it rose the second time, I went down the street to treat myself to frozen yogurt from Leo's Yum Yums, since we weren't able to get any yesterday. Despite the windy, lovely night, it dripped faster than the last time I had a cone, but I managed to finish it before it made a mess.

Oh, and by the way, I finally baked the rye bread tonight and it came out beautifully. I really love making bread. It's so therapeutic, kneading and turning the dough. And it's something you made, something that's good for you and tastes a thousand times better than anything off of a shelf.